The population of Smalltown in the year 1890 was 6,250. Since then, it has increased at a rate of 3.75% each year. • What was th
e population of Smalltown in the year 1915? • In 1940? • What will the population of Smalltown be in the year 2003? • When will the population reach 1,000,000 (to the nearest year)?
The year 1915 marks a population of 15,689. In 1940, it increased to 39,381. The required time to reach this figure is t = 137.9 years. Step-by-step explanation: To answer, we apply an exponential growth formula: A = P (1 + r) t, where P is the original number of individuals, r is the growth rate in decimal, and t is the time in years. Plugging in provided values: A = 6,250 (1 + 0.0375)^t. For the year 1915, as 1915-1890 translates to 25 years: A = 6,250 (1.0375)^25 yields 15,689. For 1940, as 1940-1890 indicates 50 years passed: A = 6,250 (1.0375)^50 results in 39,381. To find when the population hits 1,000,000, substitute A=1,000,000 and solve for t. This leads to 1,000,000/6,250 = (1.0375)^t implying log(160) = t * log(1.0375) results in t being approximately 137.9 years.
